Will Cuylle up, Sammy Blais down for Rangers

GREENBURGH, N.Y.  — Will Cuylle and Sammy Blais are opposite sides of the same coin.

For one, the opportunity is to prove to organizational decision-makers that he belongs in the NHL. For the other, the opportunity is a chance to reset away from the bright lights of Broadway.

What remains to be seen is if one or both can make lineup decisions difficult for those tasked with making them.

About an hour before practice began at the MSG Training Facility the Rangers announced Cuylle was recalled from AHL Hartford while Blais was sent down on a conditioning stint.

Cuylle, the 60th overall pick in the 2020 draft, has 13 goals and seven assists in 39 games this season with the Wolfpack.

“I’m excited,” said Cuylle, whose 13 goals lead the team and his 20 points rank third. “I’ve been scoring a bit down there. I’m just going to bring lots of energy on the forecheck here and [chip in a few] goals as well.”

Which had to be music to Gerard Gallant’s ears. Gallant reconfigured the forward lines before the Rangers’ 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers at the Garden Monday night, but during his postgame interview the coach said he wasn’t necessarily overwhelmed with their collective performance as the Rangers were outshot 35-26 by Florida, and out-attempted 67-50.

But the lines mostly remained intact during the brisk half-hour practice, with the only change being Cuylle rotating with Vitali Kravtsov as the right wing on the fourth line.

When he met with reporters before the team flew to Toronto, Gallant said Cuylle would play in  Wednesday's game against the Maple Leafs. Gallant was unsure who would be scratched to make room for the 20-year-old but acknowledged that Kravtsov is not an ideal fit on the fourth line since the 23-year-old is 6-3 and 186 pounds, and his game is based on skill rather than physicality.

In 27 games, Kravtsov has three goals and three assists.

“He’s built to play in a top-nine position,” Gallant said. “He’s been fine. I wish he would score more. I wish he finished more checks. Stuff like that. But overall he’s played about 20 games in a row now — I think somewhere in that area— and been OK.”

While there is intrigue for Cuylle and recognition that Kravtsov is a square peg in a round hole, Gallant hopes Blais can rediscover his game in Hartford. Acquired in a trade with St. Louis on July 23, 2021, which sent Pavel Buchnevich to the Blues, Blais has just nine points — all on assists — in the 52 games he has played as a Ranger spanning last season and the current campaign.

Blais played in only 14 games in 2021-22 because of a torn right ACL after then-Devils defenseman P.K. Subban slew-footed the winger in the third period of the game on Nov. 14, 2021. He has played 38 games this season and has five assists.

“It hasn’t gone perfect for him yet,” Gallant said. “He wants to get some success on the ice and that’s what we want too.”